Fever Sequel
by Younggirl
Summary: Natsu's sickness is finally a thing in the past...or is it? Follow with as something unexpected happens in the lives of Natsu and Gray as they once again struggle against an illness unknown! Eventual Gray/Natsu
1. Chapter 1

**I hope you have been waiting for this!  
It's time for Fever sequel!  
If you haven't read the first part please do since this will be too confusing otherwise.  
WARNING: Unlike on the first part, Gray and Natsu will be in an eventual relationship. It won't be like normal love fictions and the love-part will come at the very end and it will stay mild. If you still hate the idea that they will ever be in such close relationship its better that you don't read this. Though I wish you would!  
For those who are excited to read the Fever sequel I hope from the bottom of my heart you will enjoy this!  
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Fairy Tail  
~.~.~**  
I sat in the guild like on any other normal day. The sun was shining brightly today even though there was a slight chill in the air. Even though it was a very normal day for most people, it was just a bit special day for our guild. The air in the guild was filled with excitement, and you could almost feel it tickling your skin. I was trying to keep my cool even though I was probably one of the most excited ones. I found myself tapping the ground with my heel. It was really hard to sit still and it was impossible to think about anything else.

So what was so special that the whole guild couldn't sit still? Well, someone very special was returning to the guild after a long, long break. A loud cheer woke me from my thoughts and I saw a big, yellow banner being opened up near the roof by two flying cats, Charla and Lily. Even though I couldn't see the text from my position, I knew what the banner said:  
'WELCOME HOME NATSU!' Claps and cheers could be heard and the members of the guild were all wearing these silly smiles.  
"Hey.. isn't that banner a bit too much? You should calm down a bit.." I said and sighed. Lucy only smiled wider at this.

"We have to welcome our little sunshine with a blast, right everyone?" Lucy asked loudly and there was a loud cheer again. I couldn't help but to smile. Everyone was so excited. I was just as excited as they were even though I tried to hide it. These people had their way of showing their affection towards the young boy and it was by decorating the guild so no colors were left unused. There were flowers and all sorts of paper-decorations on the walls and roof and someone had gotten all the tables proper tablecloths and there were candles on each one of them, shining brightly through the different colored glass cups.

It had been a few days since I had seen Natsu last, but for some it had already been several weeks. Natsu had gotten out of hospital last week but despite his wishes he wasn't allowed to come to the guild until today since the doctor was well aware of how rowdy our guild was. Today that was going to change but he still was under doctor's orders. He wasn't allowed to strain himself in any way and he wasn't allowed to take any mission in another two weeks. Natsu had been very frustrated about the orders but after my persuasion he had finally agreed.

I couldn't help it when my fingers tapped the counter.

There was great tension in the air as we prepared to welcome the young boy back to his family.

The guild slowly got a bit more silent as all the decorations were in place and the only thing that was missing was the main actor. People began to sit down but the excitement still ran in the air like electricity and they all shared the same thought:  
'When is Natsu coming?'

Suddenly a blue flying cat came inside the guild and shouted: "Natsu is coming!" We all got up and waited. And like the cat had said, soon we could see a pink-haired boy walking in.

He looked very healthy. Even though his face still looked tired, he wasn't pale and lifeless-looking like a few weeks ago. He wore a warm-looking long woolen sweater which he kept open over comfortable and casual clothing. He had a smile on his face and it was obvious that he was very happy by the fact that he could finally return to the guild. He still was very careful in his every action, which made me a bit nervous.

"WELCOME BACK!" We shouted loudly and Natsu's mouth hung low in surprise as he took in the colorful scenery before he giving a big smile.

"I'm back!" He shouted happily in return.

The rest of the day went by with the room filled with laughter and noise. The members were rarely as drunk as they were today which I only found amusing. I had somehow taken the role of keeping an eye out for Natsu so I didn't drink enough to get drunk. In fact I didn't feel even tipsy.  
Everyone wanted to talk to the pink-haired kid and even though he tried to approach me countless of times he always got pulled away by someone. He didn't seem to mind it as he continued to party with those people and I was happy to notice that he was declining any drinks offered to him. It made me feel relaxed at first, but then it made me a bit nervous. Natsu was the type who didn't really care of his own condition. Even when he had just returned from a difficult mission or a battle he would always join the party afterward and drink along with others. The only time he wouldn't drink after a big event was when he had gotten himself beaten half to death or when he was unconscious. So seeing him standing on his own two feet yet declining a drink made me wonder if he truly was feeling alright. I was eventually able to push that thought away by the thought that he was just taking care of himself for once.

Even though the entire guild was feeling brilliant, a some sort of fear from the recent events had once again crept in my heart. I looked at the smiling young boy but couldn't help when pictures of him, weak and dying, crossed my mind.

What truly had been wrong with him remained a mystery and the stranger part was that whenever the matter was brought up when Natsu was around he would get annoyed, angry even, and say something along the lines of: "I'm alive, isn't it just fine like that?" It was, and according to Porlyusica he was extremely lucky to be among the living.  
Still, it felt like he was hiding something from us, though I was probably the only one who cared about it. Right now at least.

I wished that I could forget about the whole incident but the feeling of his cold body on my back had never left me. It felt me feel sick inside whenever I remembered it.

A light slap on my back woke me from my thoughts. I looked at the figure and was surprised to find the pink-haired boy finally getting the chance to talk to me.

"Hey Gray." He just said and gave a really happy grin. I replied with a small smile and nodded at him. I glanced at the chair next to me.  
"Sit down." Natsu didn't decline my offer and he plopped down on the cushioned bar-chair. He rested his head on his hand and looked at me meaningfully.  
"So?" He asked and I had to blink a few times in confusion.

"What?" He closed his other eye and gave a laugh.

"Aren't you gonna say: welcome home?" He said and smirked. I gave a puff and nodded. I wasn't going to act like an asshole today since I was genuinely happy that Natsu was back.

"You're right. Welcome home Natsu." When I had said that Natsu's smile was gone and he looked at me incredulously.

"I can't believe you said that!" He said and gave a laugh. Then he poked my shoulder.

"Have you gone soft?!" He asked and I pushed his hand away.  
"No way!" I said and we both laughed. When we finished Natsu ordered a drink (non-alcohol of course). He looked relaxed and happy. He was like before... yet not exactly. This Natsu was more calm and fragile.  
And to tell you the truth, I liked this Natsu better over the old Natsu. Not the part that he was weaker, but the part he seemed more... approachable.

"But really, it's good to have you back." I was even surprised myself by the sincerity of my own voice. Natsu only looked surprised for a split second before his face melted into another smile.

"Yeah!"

Unfortunately I didn't have any more time to enjoy Natsu's company as he was once again dragged elsewhere.

I was surprised how well everyone was acting despite some were wasted. No one found any reason to start a fight. No food was thrown, only a couple of drinks got knocked over by accident and everyone was being on their best act today. I wasn't sure if they were doing it knowingly so they wouldn't upset or hurt Natsu in any way (if he would get in a middle of a fight) or if they just happened to act well today. I was guessing the first option. There was no way that a guild like Fairy Tail, known from its rowdiness, would act this well otherwise and I had never been more proud about everyone. They were doing a fine job.

–

As the hours passed and the evening began to grow more and more people started passing out or going home. About half of the guild had disappeared from the guild before midnight and the noise had lessened considerably. Still there were people who just wouldn't be out until morning light.  
I had been looking at Natsu the entire day and I was finally starting to see the effects of being the center of attention. He was looking so tired and was clearly having trouble to keeping up with the conversation he was having with Elfman and some other members.

That's when I decided that he had had enough. I walked over to the gang and told them I was going to borrow Natsu for a while. I took him back to the bar counter and we sat in silence for a while.

"Natsu, you look kinda tired. Should you head back home to rest soon?"

I said and tried not to shout too demanding or worried. He didn't lift his gaze or react to my words.

"I'm fine." He said after a while.

"I'm not an idiot. I can see you're getting tired. I can walk you home so-"

"Just stop, will you? I finally got to go out after a long while. If I get tired I can just sleep here." He said. It was so obvious that he was exhausted and was going to throw a tantrum like a little kid if he wouldn't get what he wanted. But I knew that I had some sort of responsibility to keep him safe so I pressed on.

"There is a reason for your daily check-ups at the hospital. And there is a reason why you can't perform missions yet. And I'm sure that there is a reason why you aren't actually allowed to sleep in the guild either." Natsu looked at me with a mix of anger and annoyance but he still seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

"You aren't healthy yet. And I want you to understand that what happened to you was a miracle." Natsu had clearly heard that sentence too many times before as he gave a dramatic sigh and turned his head away in obvious annoyance. But I wanted him to understand how serious his condition had been even though clearly he didn't really seem to understand it. "I don't know if you knew but that night in the infirmary-" I stopped for a moment. Was it really wise to tell him? But then again, he needed to know and someone would eventually say it so why couldn't it be me? "-for a moment, your heart stopped beating. You were dead, Natsu." His eyes went wide. He clearly hadn't heard this before.

"Do you know how we felt that moment? It's a feeling that I can't describe. That short moment lasted forever. Then suddenly, your heart started beating again. I don't know what happened, but it did." Natsu looked at me like he couldn't believe what I was saying.

"That's why I want you to understand that those things don't happen as usually as they should. If you would get into that condition again...You..." I couldn't continue the sentence but Natsu understood what I was saying.

He gave a huff and got up. He gave a smirk, but it was a thankful smirk.

"It seems like my life isn't just for me to decide anymore." He stated and looked at me with sincere eyes. I was glad that he understood me.

He began to walk to the exit but turned back to say his goodbyes to everyone.

"Sorry everyone, I'm feeling a bit tired so I'm going home before you! See you tomorrow!" He shouted. Everyone gave their goodbyes and wished Natsu a good night. Happy soon followed after his best friend and I felt an urge to follow him too, just to make sure he would get home safely. But I stopped myself before I made myself look like a fool. He could handle himself.

**So that was the first part.  
Reviews guarantee a faster update. They work like a hot chocolate and a warm blanket on cold winter nights.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone!  
Thank you very much for all the feedback, I was became super happy!  
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

~.~.~

The guild became silent and the air turned sleepy after Natsu left. The people were finally going to their homes to catch some sleep now that the main actor had retired for the evening.

I also decided that I had no reason to stay and I grabbed my coat and my shirt (that I had taken off without noticing once again) before thanking Mira for the drinks and leaving. I took one more look at the guild before closing the doors behind me. People had fallen asleep around the floor and benches (some even on the tables) and Mira had taken the part of putting blankets on them and she wore a soft, motherly smile while doing so. I once again felt happy that I belonged in such a big and crazy family of mages.

As I exited I noticed that the air outside was cool and it was clear that fall was on its way. The trees were slowly losing their green color and the birds had quieted down as they had decided that it would be best to leave to warmer places. To me, an ice-wizard, nothing felt too cold and I was actually just enjoying the fact that I didn't have to try to cool myself down because of the heat.

I wondered if Natsu was already home and if he felt warm even though it was getting a bit chilly.

I quickly shook those thoughts away.

_'I should stop worrying about him. He's stronger now. He doesn't need my help anymore.' _Even though I just thought it myself, the words seemed to sink in slowly.

_'Right... He doesn't need me anymore.. He's recovering by himself.' _

Sudden feeling of loneliness seemed to run through me for some reason.

A part of me wished that he would stay weak so I could take care of him but I cursed myself of even considering something like that right away. I would just have to accept that Natsu didn't need to depend on me from now on.

With those thoughts running in my head I walked towards my home but I soon saw something blue flying towards me and I was surprised to recognize it as Happy.

"Gray~!" He shouted and soon he flew to my face so hard that I fell down.  
"Ow! What are you doing-!" I was about to shout but I noticed that the blue cat was crying so I didn't. My heart seemed to skip a beat when I understood right away what was happening.

"Natsu- Natsu is-!" He tried to utter out as fast as he could.

"What happened!?" I shouted and picked up the panicked little cat and started running towards Natsu's and Happy's house.

"Natsu just- he just collapsed suddenly-! I can't get him to wake up!" The cat cried and I ran faster. Panic seemed to overwhelm me, but I tried to keep myself under control.

"I'm coming Natsu, just hang on!"

Like Happy had told me, I could soon see a familiar pink-haired boy laying on the ground. I rushed to his side and turned him around so I could see his face. I was glad to find he was coming to.

"Natsu?" I asked while trying to calm my own voice down. I didn't want to sound panicked and I tried to speak as softly and calmly as I could.

"G-Gray? Sorry... I just feel a bit dizzy..." Even though he acted like this wasn't anything serious I still felt worried. He looked a bit pale and his eyes were unfocused.

"Are you okay? You just passed out... Maybe I should take you to the hospital just in case-" I spoke softly.

"No, no.. It's okay. Just...just let me rest for tonight... I'll be okay tomorrow..." He said. He didn't have any strength to move. He closed his eyes and I wondered if he could even hear me anymore.

I lifted him up to my back with the help of Happy and I could hear his steady breathing by my ear.

There wasn't a long way to their house so we reached it soon. Natsu was somewhat awake when I rested him on his bed, his eyes fluttering open and closed.

"I'll be here for a while to make sure you'll be fine." I whispered and Natsu made an approving sound and his eyes slowly closed. His breathing soon became deeper and I knew that he had fallen asleep.

I stayed by his side and made sure that he wasn't developing a fever again. When I was sure that Natsu would fine for now I got up to leave. I suddenly felt exhausted.

"Happy, take care of Natsu. I'll come by tomorrow to take him to the hospital for his check-up. If anything comes up before that, come and tell me right away, okay?"

Happy nodded tiredly. I gave an understanding smile before I said my goodbyes and left.

Even though I was worried I still knew that Happy would come and tell me if something were to happen. I knew that I couldn't do anything for Natsu right now. I could only take him to the hospital tomorrow if his own strength wasn't enough.

I wondered if I should tell Master about what happened, but I decided to wait. Natsu wouldn't like it if everyone was constantly fuzzing over him, asking if he was okay. His few weeks in the hospital were enough to drive him crazy with all the people coming over, asking the same questions from one day to another.

–

Theh next day I went to Natsu's house as promised. I knocked softly on the door because I didn't want to wake the boy if he was still sleeping.

The door opened and revealed the blue cat who had a sad and a little lost expression.

"Hey Happy... Did you get any sleep last night?" I asked with a silent voice.

"Not much... Natsu seemed to have nightmares the whole night and he kept tossing and turning... he still hasn't woken up..." The blue cat said tiredly. I wanted to admit that I hadn't slept either but I thought that right now it wasn't really that important.

"Can I come in?" I asked an the blue cat answered with a nod and opened the door enough to let me in.

"I'm going to get some water..." The blue cat said tiredly and flew out. I guessed that the cat wanted to take a nap somewhere and I let him.

I walked next to Natsu's bed and knelt down to watch the sleeping boy.

He was clearly having a nightmare. His brows were furrowed and sweat was running down his face which was turning from right to left from time to time.

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't make nightmares go away and waking him up seemed like a bad idea so I just put one hand on his forehead to see if his temperature was normal.

"...Nnn... No... Don't..." Natsu mumbled in his sleep. I removed my hand and looked at him in worry. His breathing was turning faster and faster and I was afraid of what was going to happen next.

"...NO! IT HURTS! AAGH!" He then suddenly shouted and started to trash around violently.

Panic swelled in my chest as I tried to keep his hands down. Tears were streaming down his face, wetting the pillow under him. I knew that I had to wake him up or he would end up hurting himself.

"Natsu! Wake up!" I shouted but the boy didn't react, instead, he continued his trashing.

"GRAY!" He shouted on top of his lungs and I could feel a painful twinge in my chest. I did the only thing I could think of that moment. I pulled the younger boy into a tight hug.

"Natsu! You gotta wake up!" I said and hoped that my words would go through him. His heart raced like mine, his tears now wetting my shirt wet and I could hear his loud gasping against my ear. But then, his trashing stopped suddenly. He had woken up.

His figure shook in terror and his tears continued to flow.

"No...no...NO!" He shouted and I pulled back. Natsu's eyes were unseeing and his face was twisted in a panicked look. He looked around as if to find something while he continued to tremble.

"Natsu! What's wrong?" I tried to ask but he couldn't hear me right now. I felt a bit panicked and unsure what to do.

"No...Don't! Don't hurt...! Gray...!" He pleaded and his tears continued to stream down.

"I'm right here! Everything is fine Natsu!" I said and tried to shake the boy. But nothing changed. But then the boy said something that made me snap.

"...Kill me...!" He pleaded and I couldn't help myself when I slapped him.

His head was thrown to his side I wondered instantly if I hit him too hard. But his trembling stopped right away and his hands fell down. He stayed like that for a while before slowly turning to look at my face with unbelieving eyes.

"...Gray...?" He asked like he hadn't seen me in ages and couldn't believe it was me.

"I'm here." I said and took his hand so he could feel that I was there. His mouth turned into a smile but his tears still fell. He looked tired but I was just thankful that the nightmare had ended.

"Are you okay?" I asked the boy and he gave a nod.

"I just... saw a really bad dream..." He said and looked away from me.

"Do you..want to talk about it?" He glanced at me before turning his gaze away again.

"I was dreaming about that field we used to go to when we were kids." He sighed tiredly but was able to give a small smile. I felt instantly a lot better.

"A field?" I tried to remember what Natsu was talking about, but all the fields I could remember were only visited once.

"Yeah. That one near the mountains. Then we found that cave one day, right? It was just really exciting." His smile widened but I still had no idea what he was talking about. I decided to keep pretending that I did remember the field so I wouldn't upset him. I was still too shaken about what had just happened.

"And the time we went really deep into the cave until we found that big tree inside. I just wanted to go closer to see how it was growing in such a place, but you got so scared that you wanted to leave right away." He gave a tired laugh but I was certain now. This wasn't my memory. I would remember a tree growing in a cave since it's very rare to find something like that. This memory was with someone else. Maybe his dream got mixed because of his illness? I didn't know but I kept listening.

"Then I touched the tree's surface and it suddenly pulled me inside it! It felt really weird and I couldn't breathe..." Natsu shuddered at the thought and fell silent.

"And...what happened after that?" I asked and Natsu looked at me in surprise.

"You really don't remember?" He gave a laugh.

"You came to save me! You gathered all your courage and pulled me out! Then we never ever went back to that cave again." He smiled but it soon disappeared as he remembered something.

"But..."

"What is it?" I asked.

"But that dream was different. Instead of pulling me in, it took you. I...I couldn't save you..." He said sadly and looked down so I couldn't see his eyes behind his hair. His figure started to tremble again and soon, two teardrops fell down on my hand that was still holding his.

"I couldn't save you... I had to watch you die...Then... The whole place was soon covered in flames... And it hurt so bad..." His voice sounded more hurt by every word and he looked so vulnerable right now that even a gust of wind could have broken him in thousand pieces. When that thought crossed my mind my arms flew around him and I hugged him tightly. I promised in my mind, once again, that I would protect him. I was surprised when I found his arms on my back, gripping my shirt tightly.

He really was just like a child that moment and I felt the strong urge to protect him resurface.

We stayed like that for a while before I remembered something.

"Natsu... We have to go to the hospital for your check-up. Do you think you can walk there?"

"I...think so..." He mumbled against my chest. I understood that he was tired, but I didn't want the other members of the guild worrying too much about him since I wasn't even sure if his condition was getting worse or if this was something else.

The only thing I could do was to take care of Natsu until his condition became stable.

Happy was nowhere to be seen but since I didn't want to bother him after a tough night. I decided to search for him later if he hadn't returned.

Natsu slowly got himself ready and we left the house. We slowly made our way to the hospital and I had to resist the urge to carry the weak boy as he would occasionally trip and I had to catch him before he fell to the ground. He insisted on walking on his own and I could only walk next to him and hope that he would be alright.

–

The doctor was surprised to see someone accompanying Natsu, who was getting better by the day. I silently watched the middle-aged doctor examine the younger boy. Natsu didn't seem to mind my presence but the doctor gave me glances now and then.

When the examination was over, the doctor wanted me to have a talk with him in private while Natsu was putting on his shirt.

"Did something happen to Natsu? It's unusual to see anyone accompanying him." The doctor had a serious look as usual.

"Actually, he was at the guild yesterday and when he returned back home, he suddenly collapsed. He told me that he was just feeling lightheaded, but he couldn't even get up by himself."

"I see. Is there anything else?"

"Well he was very tired and fell asleep right after that..." I thought about yesterday and this morning. Was there any other useful information? Then I remembered his nightmare.

"When I came to pick him up for his check-up I heard that he had been having nightmares the whole night. It just got worse and when I finally got him to wake up, he was acting really strange, like the nightmare was still continuing even though his eyes were open." The doctor became more serious and I got a feeling that the information I just told was useful.

"I got him to snap out of it soon though..."

"That's good. So... Did he say anything about the dream?" The doctor asked. I was a bit surprised that he was interested about it.

"Well yeah.. It was a bit strange...It seems like it was a memory of his childhood. He said that he was with me that time but I'm certain that it wasn't me. There was a field and a cave... and some tree that was a bit out of the ordinary."

"What do you mean?"

"According to Natsu the tree was eating people, so it was about to eat Natsu when I apparently saved him."

"A man-eating tree...?" The doctor seemed a bit thoughtful.

"Is there something..?" But the doctor shook his head.

"No. It's nothing. Anyway, I think that I'll be keeping Natsu here for the time being just in case." I gave a sigh.

"He isn't going to like it when he hears about this..." I said but gave a small smile.

–

"No way! I have to stay here again?! Gaah, this isn't fair!" Natsu groaned. I was relieved to see he had gotten enough energy to complain.

"It's for your own good. Let's just get you fixed for good so we can go on missions together again." I tried to encourage him but he was still sulking.

We were in a private hospital room for Fairy Tail mages and I was glad that such a room existed. Natsu was sitting on the edge of the bed while I was standing. Some hospital clothes were neatly folded on the edge of the bed waiting for Natsu to change. I sighed and sat beside the boy.

"I know that you don't like this but it's safer like this. What if you were to get in some kind of trouble again?"

He turned to look at me.

"But you always help me when I'm really in trouble." He said without any shame. I felt a bit embarrassed but I knew that I had to keep my act together.

I ruffled his pink hair and he yelped in surprise because of the sudden action.

"Just stay here. I'll come visit you if you want to." I said and pulled my hand away. He fixed his hair before giving an understanding smile.

"Come as often as you can. It's really suffocating in this room." I was about to give a laugh but it somehow just became a smile.

"Yeah. I'll come." I said and got up to leave. "See you later buddy." I said and turned away from him.

"Bye... Oh, and Gray!" He shouted after me. I turned to look at him.

"What is it?"

"Just don't...tell anyone I'm here... They'll just worry too much again..." He said silently. I nodded.

"Get some rest."

~.~.~

**Until next time~!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for taking a bit long with this chapter!  
It's possible that the future chapter will take some more time to update but please be patient!  
I hope you will enjoy this chapter!**

~.~.~

"Gray! Where have you been?" Someone shouted immediately after I got inside the guild. It was Erza, who now walked towards me with strong, determined steps.

"-And do you know where Natsu is?" Straight to the point. Erza was always too sharp and always knew who to ask when something felt off. I had no intention of breaking the promise I made with Natsu so I thought of a lie in a matter of seconds, never breaking my eye-contact with the red-haired woman.

"He's just resting at home today."

"That's odd."

"He was just a bit tired from all the partying yesterday, I suppose. So, I took him to his check-up and back home, just to be sure. Now he's sleeping at home." I instantly wondered about how I would explain his absence tomorrow. Erza looked at me a bit suspiciously before her look softened.

"I see. Good work then, Gray." I gave an inner sigh of relief at her words. But my joy was short lived.

"Everyone! It's terrible! Natsu is nowhere to be found!" A blue figure shouted and flew straight against my head, knocking me down.

Erza caught the blue cat in her hands as I gripped my head in pain.

Then I felt a murderous intent and I looked up to see Erza looking at me with a monstrous look.

"He's home sleeping huh?" She said with an ice-cold tone and I felt my legs go weak in fright. I was in serious trouble.

"Natsu is gone?" I then heard Lucy shout in surprise and I could see her standing up from the place she was sitting at.

"What? Is that true?" Someone else asked.

"We have to go find him!" One more member shouted and soon a big party of mages were running towards the door.

"Wait, wait, wait! Just WAIT!" I shouted in haste and everyone stopped like an invisible wall had appeared before turning to look at me.

"Natsu is okay. I know where he is right now." Everyone gave a sigh of relief but still gave me suspicious looks.

"So where is he?" Lucy demanded.

"That's..." I looked around at the anxiously waiting gang before turning to Erza with pleading eyes. Not only did I want to protect Natsu from being put under a watchful eye by everyone in the guild, but I also wanted to protect everyone in the guild from the fact that Natsu was unwell once again. They would definitely feel guilty and would not approach the boy the same way as before. Since I never wished to see something like that I knew that everyone couldn't know about the fact that Natsu was hospitalized once again. Only Lucy, Erza and Happy needed to know and I tried to give such message to the red-haired woman with my gaze.

After careful consideration, Erza's look softened and she gave a sigh.

"Alright. I believe you." I let a small sigh of relief but I tried to keep my facial expression in check.

"Everyone, it's alright. Let's believe in Gray. I'm sure that he has his reasons." Erza continued and everyone returned to doing their normal routines. Some gave me strange looks but I chose to ignore them.

"I understand that you don't want to tell everyone in the guild what's happening but you still need to tell us." She said sternly.

I nodded in agreement.

"Alright. But let's not talk in here."

The four of us retreated to the room in the back.

When we had all taken a place from the room (Lucy and I were sitting while Happy stood on the floor and Erza was leaning on the wall next to the window) I started to speak.

"I promised Natsu that I wouldn't tell about this but it seems like I don't have a choice..."

"It's alright Gray. You know that you can trust us." Erza told me.

"I know... I'll start from the beginning. Yesterday, it was me who told Natsu to go home because he looked very tired. I left soon after him and met Happy on the way home." I said and looked at the blue cat.

"He told me that Natsu had suddenly collapsed." Erza's face turned very serious. She understood right away what was going on. Lucy looked a bit shocked.

"I ran to see what was going on and I found Natsu not far from his house. He was unconscious when I reached him, but soon woke up. But he didn't even have the strength to walk so I had to carry him to his house. After that he fell asleep and I left."

"Gray... He's... getting worse again, right..?" Lucy asked sadly. I wasn't sure what to answer. She was probably right but I didn't want to think about it.

"I don't know..."

"So where is he now?" Erza asked.

"I took him to his check-up and told the doctor the same things as I told you. So he decided that it would be best to keep Natsu at the hospital for the time being."

"And since Natsu didn't want us to worry he told you not to tell us about this?"

"Exactly."

"That idiot..." Erza sighed. We stayed quiet for a while. If our fears were true what could we do? We still had no idea what was causing his illness or how to cure it and if he was truly getting worse... A dark future was approaching.

"There's still one thing that is bothering me." I continued.

"What's that?"

"Natsu was having a nightmare when I went to pick him up. After he woke up he told me about it. He said that it was a dream about his childhood."

"Is there something odd about that?" Lucy asked.

"Well... He told me that me and him used to go to a certain field many times but I don't have any memory of that."

"It's pretty usual that you wouldn't remember everything about your childhood. You went to many places when you were younger because of all the missions we were doing." Erza said.

"Yeah. But there was an incident that I couldn't have forgotten."

"An incident?" Lucy asked and I nodded.

"It seems like we found a cave one day and explored deep inside until we found a big tree living in the cave."

"A tree inside a cave? That's unusual."

"Yeah. And what's more is that the tree apparently tried to eat Natsu by pulling him inside."

"What!?" Lucy and Happy shouted.

"I was thinking that I would probably remember if something like that happened."

"Maybe it was just a dream?" Erza suggested.

"I'm not sure. But Natsu seemed like he remembered everything from his childhood."

"By the way. I think I heard something like that from Natsu." Happy suddenly said.

"Is that true?" I almost shot up from my chair in surprise when I asked that.

"Yeah. But it wasn't from his childhood, that tree. If I remember right it was that one mission we went to but got separated. Natsu just suddenly disappeared when we were walking through a field. Then he came back late that evening and told that he had just seen a really weird big tree."

"That could be it!" Lucy said.

"When did that happen?" Erza asked this time.  
"Now that you mention it, it happened right before Gray and Natsu went on that mission together and Natsu got ill."

"We really have to check out that tree." I said and the others nodded.

"Do you remember where the field is Happy?" Erza asked and the blue cat nodded.

"It's a two days journey by train. I'll take you there." I thanked the cat.

"Gray. You should stay here." Erza said.

"What! Why?" I wanted to help Natsu very badly and if the tree could give even a slight hint about how to cure him then I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

"You should stay by Natsu's side. I think that he needs someone to stay with him." I felt slightly angry but when I thought about leaving Natsu alone the feeling faded.

"...Can you handle it?" I asked with clenched fists.

"Don't worry. We will." She said. I nodded. This was for the best.

After our conversation we returned to the main hall.

The guild members were glancing us suspiciously, but I knew that they understood. Right now, everything about Natsu was only for us to know. It probably annoyed them but now that Natsu wasn't himself I knew it was better that they didn't know.

Being left behind made me feel anxious. I hated to be unable to help Natsu in any way and even when the three were telling me that I just needed to be by his side it just didn't feel right. I wanted to do something, _anything_ else but to watch Natsu go through the same pain again. I was begging that it wouldn't come to that but things were starting to look bad. And I was just supposed to sit and wait. How frustrating.

I was very thankful about the fact that the three had decided to leave immediately after our conversation. If it truly was a two-day journey they needed to hurry so that Natsu would suffer as little as possible.

A cold feeling passed over me as I thought about what could happen in two days. Last time Natsu's illness had developed rapidly and in just one day his condition had become life-threading. I clenched my fists as I looked at the guild door.

_'Please hurry up...Lucy, Erza, Happy!'_

Before Erza left she told me to inform Master about the current situation so I was anxiously waiting for him. He would probably know what we could do to make Natsu's condition a bit more bearable.

–

I was getting impatient.

I acted the same as the day we welcomed Natsu back to the guild yesterday, finger tapping the counter as my foot occasionally felt the need to kick the floor or the table I was sitting at.

I needed to do something and waiting was driving me crazy. Master still hadn't returned from his business and I wondered if he would even be here today. When I had asked around the guild if anyone knew when he would be returning I unfortunately got only negative answers. He needed to know what was going on with the boy so he could be there to support him if things were to get bad.

It was very sudden when a strange feeling pierced me and I got up form my seat. It was a strong feeling of foreboding. I needed to see Natsu right away. Something was feeling off.

I left the guild in a hurry and started running. I wanted to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. If something bad were to happen to the pink-haired boy I wasn't sure how I could take it.

My panting and the loud heartbeats were the only thing I could hear as I ran through the busy streets of Magnolia.

My brain was unexpectedly full of memories of the younger boy and I could not stop myself from thinking about them. His laughter seemed to echo in my ears as if it was too far away for my reach.

Since when had I heard him laugh so unconcernedly?

"_What are you doing you ice-brain?" _A familiar voice said in my head as I suddenly stopped running.

"_Shut up you flame-head!" _I used to always insult him back.

"_I'll definitely beat you today, Gray!" _He used to shout when we were kids. Then he would attack me from somewhere and there would be a fight between us again.

But after those battles we had, we would always smile.  
Why did it feel like that smile was too far away?  
Wouldn't Natsu's smile and laugh be there when I would appear to his room, all worn out from the worry and running through the town?

_'He will definitely make fun of me...right?' _I thought but no feelings of relief came and I clenched my fists.

_'Please be there-,' _I began running once again. _'-Natsu!'_

I soon reached the hill before the hospital and I unconsciously fastened my pace. But when I got to the top of the hill I stopped once again.

I could see the hospital from there, but I once again sensed that something was wrong. There was something in the air. Something sinister and evil. I had never sensed anything like this in the area.  
My instant worry was for Natsu. I broke into a mad dash. As I ran through the front garden, I noticed that there was no one to be seen. During such warm and sunny days the patients usually preferred to spend their time outside but today there was no one in the garden which intensified the bad feeling growing in my gut. I was soon in front of the white double doors leading inside and I hesitated only for a second before opening them with a yank.

I expected to find _something _inside, but the main hallway was completely empty. It only made me feel more anxious about the whole situation. My worry for Natsu's safety grew and I headed towards the hospital room he was in. Second turn to the right, another empty hallway. But when I reached the next hallway I stopped in shock. There were at least fifteen people laying on the floor, unmoving. I feared for the worst as I ran to the closest person (who happened to be a nurse) and flipped her around. I was relieved to find that she was alive and seemingly unharmed. I gently rested her back on the ground and I hoped that it was the same case for the rest of the people on the floor. I knew that they needed help and a thought of going back to the guild to get help crossed my mind but it was interrupted by my worry.

I ran through the hallway and I felt my heart skip a beat as I saw that the door to Natsu's room was open.

_'No, no, no, no! Please be alright, please, please, please!' _I chanted inside my head as I ran. The horrible feeling in the air grew stronger as my worst fears were confirmed- this attack was meant for Natsu.  
I lunged inside the room only to stop in utter shock. It took me a while to process the sight.

There was no blood, not even a drop. But it wasn't the only thing missing. The bed was empty. The sheets were a big mess, half hanging down from the bed, half a big bundle on it. Natsu had left in a haste. Or... he had been taken.

I felt like I couldn't feel my body. My steps felt heavy as I walked closer to the bed. Strange magic was floating around the room. It wasn't Natsu's. It was completely unknown to me and it made me anxious.

I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Natsu was gone. I didn't know where he was. Next thing I found out was that I was panicking. I ran out of the room and began shouting Natsu's name on the top of my lungs.  
I ran and I ran. I saw countless of people collapsed, but I didn't pay them any heed. Only one person was on my mind. And not knowing if he was kidnapped or not made me so scared and frustrated.

After my voice had gone hoarse and I was panting so loud I had to stop, I finally let the reality strike me.  
Natsu was gone and he hadn't left willingly.  
Someone had taken him.

For what reason, honestly, right then I couldn't care less. I just wanted to find him and fast. Natsu wasn't healthy enough to defend himself.  
A picture of a bedridden, weak, pale Natsu flashed inside my mind and I felt panic rise again. What was I supposed to do?

_'Calm down Gray, you need to think!' _I tried to calm my breathing and focus my thoughts. Then it hit me once again.

_'The guild! I need to get help. Master will know what to do.' _Deciding it was the best course of action I could take, I once again ran.

–

I felt so relieved to find that Master had returned from his business and was now sitting on his usual place, the bar counter, and was chatting to some new members.

I got many worried and confused looks from my friends as I ran to Master and tried to catch my breath. I didn't bother to ask him to speak to me privately since I knew that we needed as much help as we could get.

"The hospital-" I panted. "-someone attacked- the people- are all unconscious-" I panted some more before sucking in some sweet air before looking at Master with pleading eyes. "Natsu is- gone!" I knew that the people around me could all hear it. Gasps could be heard but I could just notice Master's gaze turn into utter shock before it turned to anger for just a while before he regained his cool.  
I turned around to see that people had gathered around us. They all looked so worried and horrified. I knew that I looked no different from them.

Master stood up and started to shout orders.

"I need people to divide into two groups- first group will consist of people who have any knowledge of healing. You will go to the hospital as fast as you can and help everyone there. The second group will investigate who is responsible for this attack and find Natsu! Is this clear!?" Master shouted. There was a loud and strong shout of 'YES!' before people scattered and ran outside as some smaller groups remained inside and began to plan their investigation.

I thought that I would feel less worried now that everyone was helping but when I saw the look on Master's face I knew that things weren't going to be so easy.

I hadn't seen him look so worried since Natsu's near-death experience.

"We'll find him..right?" I tried to ask him just to calm my nerves but Master didn't give me any reassuring look like usually in these situations.

"I truly don't know..." He said quietly before jumping off the counter and heading to the exit.

"Where are you going?!" I shouted. Master didn't turn to look at me.

"I'm going to get Porlyusica. I have a feeling we might be needing her expertize." He said before he was gone and I was left to the guild alone. I couldn't return to the hospital but I couldn't join the investigations either. My head was so full of confusion that fear for Natsu that I knew that I would be unable to concentrate on anything. So that's how I ended up sitting next to the wall in the corner, just looking ahead without really seeing anything.

I felt my chest tightening and I swore that I felt a hole open inside. It felt so lonely and dark around me that moment on and I knew that there was only one person who could light that darkness up.  
And now, he was gone.

~.~.~

**What is going to happen next? I hope you are excited for the next chapter, I sure am!  
Please leave a review, it will definitely help me write the next chapter faster!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello!  
I actually got this chapter up a _lot _faster than I thought I would be able.  
I regret to inform that the next chapter will take a lot more time to write since I haven't really began to write it yet... I have some troubles with the storyline.  
I want to thank you all for all the feedback once again, you are really amazing!  
There was one Guest review last chapter which went like this:  
**From: Guest

:Wow, that chapter so cool! But who was able to kidnap my Natsu? D: I've left  
too intrigued!I need to know what happened!

Sorry for not having made a comment before _ Please update soon. I love your  
stories :)

**Because I couldn't answer this like I usually do (with a replying message), I would want to answer this here.**  
**Thank you very much for commenting this story, I became really happy! I'm glad that you like my stories and I strongly encourage you to vote for my story ideas in my profile.**  
**Anyways, on with the story!**  
~.~.~

Master had been right once again. Porlyusica found out that the people inside the hospital had been put asleep with a sleeping magic that had been strictly banned for years. Fortunately she was able to remove the magic off of them and they had all woken up without any injuries besides the patients of course who already had a sickness or an injury before the incident.  
I had been able to drag my ass back to the hospital once again. My world still felt dark and meaningless and I wished that Erza, Lucy and Happy would have been there to cheer me up but right now they were trying to help Natsu without even knowing that it might even be...  
I shook my head. No. There was no way Natsu was dead. He was stronger than that. No matter how weak he felt he was a survivor and somehow he carried strong luck with him even though the recent happenings didn't suggest that.

I was very worried about him and his health but I knew that thinking about it wouldn't help the matter so I decided that the best course of action was to ask the hospital staff if they knew anything about what had happened to Natsu even though I knew the chances were slim.

I had just finished my talk with one nurse (who unfortunately didn't know anything about Natsu) when I saw the nurse walking towards me who I had found first on the floor. She seemed quite happy as she walked down the hall. Just when I was about to call for her, another nurse ran to her.

"Cesilia, it's horrible!" She shouted and the nurse turned around to look at the nurse.

"What's wrong?" She asked in worry. The other panted hard before collecting herself and explaining:  
"It's doctor Morte, he's gone! I can't find him anywhere!" I felt like my insides had frozen up.

Doctor Morte was Natsu's doctor. He knew about Natsu's condition. He knew almost everything about him.

And now they were both gone.  
The worst possible scenario crept into my mind. What if the doctor had taken Natsu?

I turned around and decided to find Master. I felt like I would just become crazy with all these speculations. I wasn't sure what kind of man Morte was, but somewhere in my heart I didn't trust him. If it was just because the current situation or not, I wasn't sure. My chest felt tight again and I became slightly dizzy. I _needed _to know where Natsu was or I was going to go crazy soon.

I took a turn to the main hallway and to my luck I saw Porlyusica and Master standing there and talking to the director of the hospital. At my current state I didn't care about if I needed to be polite or not and I just rushed to interrupt the conversation.

"Master!" I shouted before I reached them. Fortunately Master wasn't a man who cared about how he looked in other people's eyes when the safety of his guild's members were involved so he instantly shut the director off as I approached.

"What is it?" I gulped before answering.

"Natsu's doctor- he's gone!" It was clear that Master was struggling to keep his cool upon hearing this. Master looked thoughtful and I waited anxiously for him to say something. Before he did however, the director talked.  
"Are you talking about doctor Morte?" He asked and I nodded.

"Could he be behind this attack?" Master asked both me and the director. The director looked thoughtful and very serious before he answered.  
"I do not know what kind of man he is but I do know that he was employed in this hospital just a few days before Natsu was first brought here." I was shocked about the new revelation. I was certain now. This man called Morte wasn't who he claimed to be and Natsu had been his target all along.

"It must be him... He knew everything about Natsu's condition..." I said and I could hear my voice wavering.

"Do you have any idea where he could have taken Natsu?" Master asked me. I tried to think about the conversation I had last had with the doctor.

"_Did something happen to Natsu? It's unusual to see anyone accompanying him." The doctor had a serious look as usual._

"_Actually, he was at the guild yesterday and when he returned back home, he suddenly collapsed. He told me that he was just feeling lightheaded, but he couldn't even get up by himself."_

"_I see. Is there anything else?"_

"_Well he was very tired and fell asleep right after that..."_

"_When I came to pick him up for his check-up I heard that he had been having nightmares the whole night. It just got worse and when I finally got him to wake up, he was acting really strange, like the nightmare was still continuing even though his eyes were open."_

"_I got him to snap out of it soon though..."_

"_That's good. So...** Did he say anything about the dream?**"_

"_Well yeah.. It was a bit strange...It seems like it was a memory of his childhood. He said that he was with me that time but I'm certain that it wasn't me. **There was a field and a cave... and some tree that was a bit out of the ordinary."**_

"_**What do you mean?**"_

"_According to Natsu **the tree was eating people**, so it was about to eat Natsu when I apparently saved him."_

"_**A man-eating tree...?**"_

"_**Is there something..?**"_

"_**No. It's nothing...**"  
_I felt a horrible dread pass over me when I remembered the conversation. I was sure that I paled and looked completely horrified since the three in front of me looked at me in worry.

"Gray?" Master asked and I suddenly felt like my mouth was filled with sand. I gulped a few times before I got my mouth to work.

"He's... behind Natsu's illness..." Anger flashed in Master's eyes for just a second before he regained his composure.

"Gray, are you absolutely sure?" I looked at him uncertainly.

"I-I'm..." Was it truly the truth? Maybe he had just been interested about the nightmare and this all was just speculation?  
No, the look in that man's eyes when I mentioned the man-eating tree. It was recognition. He _knew _what Natsu had seen in his dream but did that mean that he was behind all of this? Was there a chance I was making a mistake?  
This time it wasn't my mind that answered, it was my heart. I could _feel _it.

"Yes. I'm sure." I said with determination. Master nodded in approval.  
"Then I believe you." He walked by me and I could hear him say:  
"Don't worry, we'll find Natsu before anything happens to him." Somehow, hearing him say that made me feel just a little bit better. But my thoughts were still a big mess. But the feeling that rose in my chest right now wasn't loneliness, sadness, frustration or fear. I still felt those feelings deep inside, but right now I was angry. I was so angry that I was even a bit afraid of myself.  
I swore that I would kill this man and with that thought I headed outside and I made the decision to travel alone so no one would try to stop my actions. The man was probably heading towards this mysterious tree and thankfully I listened to the conversation that Happy and the girls had been having about the route they were going to take.

I was going to reach the man before he reached the girls and I would kill him before he would have any time to react.

The thought made me stop. When had I become a murderer?

I tried to calm myself down and think reasonably but all reason flew out the window when I remembered how Natsu was already dead once because of this person. I knew that moment that I would even become a killer if it meant that I could save Natsu. That's just how important he was to me.

That thought made me halt.

When had my world began to revolve around the pink-head?

Since when had I started to care so deeply about him?

Since he had gotten ill it seemed like all the thoughts in my head had been about him. And even now I was only thinking about him.

I, Gray Fulbuster, was actually caring about someone more than myself? It made me feel so _different _inside.

Before I had realized mine and Natsu's relationship had changed. Every time we had talked since he had gotten ill...We had been sincere and I had, perhaps for the first time, wanted to protect him from all harm.  
A moment flashed inside my mind where I was sitting at Natsu's bedside, patting his head, while we talked and laughed about something as he was slowly getting better.

I realized only now that it wasn't how it used to be. I used to kick him and punch him when he was recovering, telling that he was weak or such. The thought made me shiver. I could never imagine doing it again.

Truly, when had our lives become so depended of each other?  
And even now I felt like a part of me had been ripped out.

I briefly wondered if Natsu felt the same way.  
I pushed the thought away.

_'This isn't the time to be thinking about such things. He _needs _me and I can't stop even for a moment. I will get him back and I will make sure that the fake-doctor will pay dearly for hurting him.'_

That thought strengthening my resolve I ran towards the station. I would have to cross the first part of the trip by train.

The vehicle made me remember Natsu's hate towards it. He would always get so motion-sick in any vehicle yet he was forced to take the train for most of his mission.

The way he would curse the ride afterward made me want to smile.

_'I promise that when we get back I will carry you home so you don't have to suffer from the journey.' _I thought with a small smile as I continued my journey.

–

I could have never prepared myself for what I would see at the station.

As I arrived I quickly checked the train I was supposed to board and I heard the familiar whistle as a train arrived. I happened to notice from the timetables that it had come from the direction where I was heading and would also be the one I would board in a while.

The train almost seemed to give a sigh as it stopped and the doors began to open.

"Hey, are you alright?!" Someone suddenly shouted by the train and I turned my head in curiosity to see what was going on. People had gathered in a circle near one of the train doors and I pushed through the crowd to see what was going on.

I didn't think that the matter I had walked in would concern me in any way but I was wrong.

A young male figure in white clothing had collapsed down on his knees right by one of the train exits and seemed to be in obvious pain. I could not see much as one color seemed to fill my vision. His hair, it was pink. The very same pink as only one person I knew.  
"NATSU!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and I pushed the assembled people away roughly and climbed to the train. Natsu's face wasn't visible since it was turned away from me. I halted when I noticed he was clutching his side and I saw his completely white hospital shirt covered in blood. My hands shook as I slowly put my hands on his shoulders. To my relief he turned his head towards me and his pain-filled eyes seemed to recognize me as he leaned to my touch.

"Natsu, what happened to you?!" I tried to keep my voice down but it was nearly impossible. He closed his eyes in pain and whispered:

"Just... get me off the train." I wasted no time as I picked Natsu up as gently as I could and carried him away from the crowd of people.

My heart was beating loudly and my head was full of confusion and questions.

Why was Natsu so badly hurt? How had he come from the train? Was the situation completely different from what I originally had thought?

I tried to clear my mind as I realized that I needed to focus on getting Natsu help as soon as possible. I knew it would be best to return to the hospital since it was likely that Porlyusica was still there and she would be able to heal Natsu's wounds.

I wished that I could have ran to my destination but looking at Natsu I knew I couldn't do that. He was in pain and I couldn't jolt him around. I just had to walk steadily yet with haste.  
Somewhere along the journey I noticed that Natsu had fallen asleep. I was really worried about his wounds since some of them were still bleeding and the fact that Natsu was no longer conscious was worrying. I knew that he was very weakened by the train ride which made me feel a bit relieved. Some of the nauseousness and weakness would pass soon. Still, Natsu was hurt and he was still ill. This made me feel more worried and I unconsciously pulled him closer to me.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore..." I found myself saying. I realized how overly-protective I sounded and a wave of embarrassment passed me. It was soon gone and I realized that I was actually slightly happy. I actually found Natsu. Somewhere in my heart I had feared that I might never see him again. I had no idea what kind of person this 'Morte' was, but I felt really guilty for leaving Natsu to his care.  
I glanced at Natsu's unconscious figure once more before focusing on getting to the hospital.

-Somewhere else-  
Lucy sat in a chair reversed, resting her head and arms on the back, and stared outside the window in their room. She did not realize it but as her thoughts traveled more and more back to their hometown and to a certain pink-head the look on her face got more worried and sorrowful-looking.

The moonlight was the only source of light at the moment but it was enough to light up the room so the girl was able to see. Her worry was clawing her inside as she had realized one fact during their travel.

Natsu was steadily growing worse and they had very little time on their mission to save him. Yet not only did it take two days to reach their destination,  
It would also take two to return.  
When she had understood that fact she had fallen limply down on her seat in the train. In a shaky voice she had asked Erza if she had realized the same fact. Erza was looking outside the window that moment and she furrowed her brows slightly. Then she admitted that she had realized the fact but tried to encourage the younger by saying that Natsu was strong and that he would be able to wait for our return. Unfortunately Lucy couldn't help but to feel worried. Last time it had only taken a couple of days before Natsu had become so sick that he had almost crossed the line.  
What would four days do to the poor boy?  
As she continued to sit in complete silence all she could think about was Natsu. All the good and bad things they had faced together came to her mind. His strength and never ending tenacity towards his goals never ceased to amaze the girl no matter how many times she had seen him battle. He would always protect the things close to him and they had witnessed that fact countless times.  
But did he know that the people close to him would always be there to return the favor? Lucy could only hope he did. Knowing that fact gave strength to a person and Lucy knew it. The entire guild would be there if Natsu ever needed help. Even though this time they wished that they wouldn't have to worry the other members it would probably become inevitable at some point if Natsu was truly weakening.

The image of the fuzzing and worried members of the guild made Lucy feel a bit warmer inside. They had such a great place to return to.  
Natsu had a great home to return to. He belonged to the guild with all his being and Lucy even thought sometimes that he was the true image of what a Fairy Tail member was.

Her thoughts ended with a smile as she could see an image of Natsu in her mind looking like he was supposed to: Smiling, strong and happy.  
Erza was the one who finished Lucy's deep thinking as she stepped into the room.

"Lucy, it's dark in here. You should put the lights on." She said on switched the lights on. The room instantly got bright and Lucy got up from her chair as she could no longer see the moon. She still felt the warmth of her latest thoughts and she knew she would be able to sleep a bit better that night.

Erza seemed to relax a lot seeing the younger girl smile.  
"Come on, we have a long journey tomorrow. Let's get some sleep you two." She stated and only now could Lucy see the tired blue figure beside Erza's leg. The cat seemed to be half asleep already, his eyes closed while he wobbled on his feet. Erza noticed this and lifted the poor fellow up. Happy fell asleep instantly in the girl's arms.

"...Natsu..." The cat furrowed its brows and mumbled. Erza looked at the cat with sympathy and petted his head gently. Then she went to her bed and put him at the end of the bed where he curved into a comfortable position. Erza switched the lights of before they changed their clothes and went to their beds.

They stared at the ceiling, both trying to reassure themselves.  
"It's going to be alright..." Erza then whispered. Lucy turned her head to look at the red-head in the darkness. She could see her quite well since the moonlight was strong that night and she smiled.  
"Yeah. Of course." Lucy said and saw Erza relax a bit. She was just as worried as Lucy.  
The two could only hope that everything would end up alright.

**So there.  
Now I need _your _help. Erza and Lucy are going to have a big role in this story and I want peoples thoughts about that. Can you stand these characters enough to read a chapter with mostly their appearance? The plot will still have a lot of Gray/Natsu moments but for example the next chapter will be mainly about the girls. Do you think that I need to speed up the parts where they appear or do you think that the speed that I wrote above is about right?  
And if you are fine with their big appearance in this story (which would be really great) I would still want to write a special Gray/Natsu moment. I'm not entirely sure what that could be but it would be great if you could PM me an ideas. Please.  
I want to say that it is crucial that you do write a review this time since it will decide how the story will go on from here.  
Thank you and be awesome (like you are!)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi!  
I was really amazed how you actually read my author note last chapter and so many replied!  
So most of you were fine with the girls' part of the story but there were some who wanted it to be a bit sped up.  
So this is the best I could do.  
I'm sorry if it seems rushed at some parts, I just wanted to respect your wishes.  
Thank you for being here, I hope you enjoy!  
~.~.~**

"_Don't die, please! I'm here-! I'm going to help you! So just- just wait, alright? I'm going to make it all alright. It's all going to be alright." The man walked closer to the one he treasured more than anything in the world._

"_There is nothing to be afraid of. I will take care of everything..."_

~.~.~

It was completely silent in the hospital room where I was in. The unbelievable fuzz had quieted down into nothingness which I was glad of. We didn't really need anything unnecessary into the current situation. It was already difficult even without it though I understood why all the members felt the way they did and that they wanted to do something, _anything_, to help the matter even if it was just useless cursing or expressing pity.

Right now we just needed the silence.

I sat beside his bed and spoke nothing. The moonlight shone into the dark room, making it mysteriously lit. It felt as if we would have existed in an completely other world where there was no pain and the time had almost stopped... I wished that the night would never end since tomorrow would bring so much pain and sorrow that I just knew my heart would break.

But right now those words weren't needed since the message carried its way to our hearts even without them.  
We knew what would happen next and it pained us but now more than ever we needed to let go of the anxiousness and let the time _stop_.

A touch woke me from my deep thinking. I felt a hand on my own and I looked up to see the dark, tired eyes staring into mine. A small smile was exchanged between us and I rested my other hand on his.

It felt cool. I looked into his eyes again sadly. His smile turned into a sad one. He understood everything. He was slowly fading away like this. His hands were going to turn even colder and that steady rhythm of his heartbeats could no longer be felt from them.  
I hoped that it was just a bad thought and not a true future. We should always be able to change it after all, right?  
But looking into those dark orbs it was painful to understand that the boy had already _accepted _his fate no matter what it would be.  
I once again felt powerless.  
My role and his role had been set and they could no longer be changed. He was going to stay on that hospital bed, maybe even until the end of his few days, and I would be staying by his side until the time of decision came.

The decision if I would let go of his hand or if I could grip it once again but with a completely different feeling. With joy and relief. Since when had I last felt those feelings? They seemed to be such far-away feelings, yet even now I could feel them lingering in the air but not by me. By him.

My mind begged him to stop. I didn't want to see him looking so _content_- as if he had just returned from a long journey to his home and gained that certain warmth back. It was wrong. Like this, he wasn't going home at all. He was leaving to a place where no family of his could follow.

He would be _leaving _his home and knowing that he wouldn't come back ever again. The guild would never again celebrate for him and the air would eternally be colder than it was with him around. So how could he look so _okay _with this? He was supposed to love his home- the Fairy Tail guild- more than anything! All his friends there depended on him to be there for them. Wasn't Natsu the same? Did he no longer need us to be by his side?

Only three more days and the girls would return. I looked into Natsu's eyes once again, wanting to convey the message that everything would end fine.  
But when I saw his eyes I knew that I was wrong.

Things weren't going to be fine this time.

The fact hurt me so much that I couldn't help it when I clenched my teeth tightly together while resting my head against our hands and let my vision blur with the frustrated tears. My shoulders shook and I could no longer hold myself together.

While it was supposed to be Natsu who was crying for all this unfairness the one breaking down was me. I let out a pitiful wail that was full of hurt and sadness yet I did not care. All this understanding silence needed to be broken with a voice that told the room how wrong things truly were.

I was supposed to be comforting Natsu that moment yet why could I feel his cool hand on my hair, brushing back and forth so soothingly? This made my emotions go even more wild as my mind could only register how _wrong _things were.

Yet still I could only stay by his side without saying a word.

**-The next morning somewhere else-**

There was a cool breeze running over the scenery they were currently seeing.

"Hey...It's fall right?" Lucy asked and blinked.

"Yeah... I...believe so." Erza said while her mouth hung slightly. The blue cat just stared ahead in shock.  
They had arrived to their destination, but it was nothing like they had thought it to be. The field ahead of them was supposed to be beaten by the cold weather and turning dark when inevitably falling to sleep for the snowy winter to come yet there it was- looking like it was the beginning of summer with all the flowers blooming and the grass swaying brightly green in the harsh wind like it meant nothing. The field was so alive that the three were at loss of words. It was definitely unnatural.

"This is definitely weird..." Lucy stated. The other two let out a sound of agreement. Erza was quick to snap out of her state and ushered the two to focus on their mission.

One would think that a cave big enough to hide a tree inside would be easy to find yet there seemed to be nothing on the field. Not even a single rock. Still the party split up to find the entrance to the mysterious cave.  
They had been searching for about an hour when a scream of joy could finally be heard:  
"I found it!" The girls rushed towards the voice of the blue cat but were unable to find him.

"Happy, where are you?" Erza shouted. A muffled voice answered her.

"Over here! You have to look down!" The girls were walking in the middle of the field and the long plants made it almost impossible to see anything before them. Erza crouched down and could finally see small rocks before her. She made sure Lucy followed her before she continued her way.  
Soon there was a hole in the ground which was bordered with carefully shaped rocks that had different symbols on them. This fact made Erza feel curious but feeling the time pressing on them she jumped down into the hole without really seeing anything down there.  
"Is it safe?" Lucy asked after Erza had jumped. The fall hadn't been as long as she had expected but the darkness made it impossible to see where to land.

"Be careful, it's really dark in here." She shouted and answer and took a few steps away from the spot she had fallen in.

"I can't see anything!" The blue cat cried in front of Erza.

"It's alright. I expected as much." Erza said before using her equipping magic to call forth a flashlight. A thump could be heard behind the two as Lucy fell on her butt while coming down.

Erza only gave her a glance before looking around the cave to see where they were.  
It was something she did not expect.

The walls and the floors were all clearly made by humans and it was the same kind of stone that had been used on the borders of the hole. The walls were all filled with strange marks that went on forever.

Erza was glad to find that the way behind them had caved in at some point and the only way to go was forward. That made their task much easier.

"Let's go." She said and the three begun to make their way through the strange, ancient hallway.

–

They had walked for a long time and come across many doorways. Every time they had peaked inside of them they had discovered a small room. It didn't look like it was used as a grave and it made them wonder what use the rooms had once been.  
The hallway had continued deep underground which made the three quite nervous. What could possibly be waiting for them in such place?  
The hallway finally ended to the party's big delight as it took its only turn to right before showing the three a scene they would never forget.

The flashlight clattered to the floor when they understood what place they had stumbled into.  
"T-this is...!" Erza stuttered while her and the others' mouths hung once again open in shock.  
The room they had walked in was enormous.

There was holes in the very high roof over them, lighting the place up so they could see it properly.  
The ground in the middle rose towards the roof and on it was an ancient, abandoned city. The houses were all built from white clay and they almost seemed to shine in the small light they were given. There must have been at least eight to six hundred houses in the space.  
"It's an underground city!" Lucy exclaimed. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold.

The three stayed quiet for a long time while they walked up the hill while looking at the empty houses and hollow windows.

"Hey look!" Lucy then suddenly shouted while pointing towards the very top of the hill.

A light shone down on the top, illuminating a welcome sight.  
A very large tree resembling an oak grew at the top. Even though there was no life human life in the city, the tree flourished like the small plants growing all over the silent scenery.

"That must be it! Hurry up!" Erza almost shouted and ran off towards it. The two followed her determinedly.

When they had reached the top they saw how big the tree actually was. It was at least five times Erza's height and at least four times her shoulder width.

The ground around the tree was filled with grass and flowers and they swayed to the non-existent wind. The tree hesitantly walked closer to the tree and stared at it for a while.

"So..what do we do now?" Lucy asked Erza. Before the red-head had time to answer a loud voice interrupted her.

"YOU WILL NOT DO ANYTHING!" The three turned around in surprise only to find someone unexpected there.

"You-you're Natsu's doctor! What in the earth-!" Erza was shouting at the man before it clicked to her in a flash.

"-_You_ are behind all of this!" She shouted in anger. The man took a few steps closer to them and the three could see him much clearer now. He was clutching his side that was covered in blood and sweat ran down his face. His white cloak had turned dirty brown and his graying hair was a mess. His figure was quite disturbing since the three had seen him last when he was looking very professional and trustworthy. This seemed like a totally different man. He looked broken and desperate as he walked closer to the tree. The mages didn't see him as a threat so they let him do what he wished. With a wound like that he wouldn't be able to last long.

He collapsed before the tree and rested his hand upon its surface.

"I'm back-" The tree suddenly lit up in a green light and the dark surface turned transparent as the leaves turned completely white while they started to sway to the non-existent wind.

"-my child." The doctor almost whispered and the three could only stare in shock as a figure of a child appeared inside the trunk. It was a boy no older than ten and he looked like he was just sleeping. The mages were unable to say anything.

"It's going to be alright now. Just a little bit more and we will be together again." He smiled at the child.

"What...what is going on?!" Erza asked in shock. The doctor looked at them with an empty gaze before turning to look at his child again with affection.

"My child was taken from me eight years ago by this tree. It devoured him and put him into this sleep-like state. I was at complete loss and I thought that I had lost him forever. Then the tree started to wither away. I didn't know what to do so I found a strong magician to seek help from. She told me that my son could only be woken by a powerful sacrifice. Since then I lured many people into this place and the tree would devour them from their power and the bodies would turn into these flowers.." He looked sadly around him but there was no regret in his eyes. At the tree looked around they saw that there was at least a hundred flowers on the ground. Where these all sacrifices?  
"Then one day a young mage stumbled upon this place. I watched as he found the tree and seemed to be completely mesmerized by it. When he touched the tree the whole space was filled with the purest light I had ever seen and then I knew! He was the right one!" The party felt their bloods run cold. It had been Natsu.

"The boy soon realized that his magic was being slowly devoured by the tree and he fled but I knew that he wouldn't be able to run away from the spell."

The man slowly got up while leaning to the tree and he took on of the branches that hung low and looked at the pure white leaves in fascination.

"I followed him to make sure the magic would hold but to my surprise he was a lot stronger than I expected. So I planted an illness to him so that he wouldn't be able to resist no matter how strong he was. The illness was meant to weaken the boy so that all his magical energy would be transferred into my son which would kill him in process. I got a job for myself in the hospital so I could make sure that the illness would do its trick. It had been so close too..." He inspected one of the leaves in his hand before giving a sigh.

"But your friend was just too strong. He weakened the spell and due to that the illness was almost broken too. I however made sure the spell slowly got stronger and I was just about to take the boy back here in his weakened state to finish the ritual but the bastard fought back." He said with anger.

Erza exploded that moment.  
"You BASTARD! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW NATSU HAS SUFFERED?! I'M GOING TO-"

"-What? Kill me?" The man interrupted her and laughed. "-I'm already dying, child. I just came here to make sure that my job is finished and my son will be able to live again." He looked at his son affectionately.  
"You are going to be alright son." Before Erza had time to run to the man he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out something. Only Erza was near enough to see what it was. It was hair. Natsu's hair. She stopped in shock.

"What are you doing?" She asked as the man reached his hand towards the tree to offer the hair to it.

"The last part of the ritual was to bring that boy's body here. I couldn't do that but I managed to grab some of his hair while we fought. It should be enough to strengthen the spell..." He said while smiling. The hair started to glow and it slowly started to float towards the tree.

"Stop it!" Erza shouted and tried to reach the man before the damage could be done.

Unfortunately she was too late and the hair disappeared inside the trunk. She fell against the trunk and started beating the surface.

"No! Don't do this! He is going to die!" Erza shouted desperately. The tree then reacted to the hair and a bright light covered their vision.

–

When the bright light faded everything was the same as a moment before. No one dared to speak a word, fearing something would happen but soon an unfamiliar voice broke the silence.

"_Father..."_

They all looked up to the child inside the tree but saw him in the same state as before.

"Son...!" The doctor shouted in excitement and happiness. A figure then appeared over the tree and it slowly floated down before them. It was the same boy that was sleeping inside the tree but this boy had a warm expression and his entire body was glowing white.

"_Father...This isn't what I want." _The boy said and shook his head. The man fell to his knees again and he crawled towards the boy.

"Wha-what do you mean? It will be alright, you will finally be free-"

"_No father. Don't you see?" _The boy floated right before his father and extended his hand towards him.

The father looked at him in surprise and tried to take the boy's hand. It passed through.

"_I haven't been alive in a long time now...There was no way to bring me back in the first place." _The boy said while smiling sadly. The father looked at the boy with unbelief before letting his head fall and letting out a wail. The boy looked at his father as he cried for a while before turning to the three mages.

"_I'm very sorry about this all. I never wished this to happen but I haven't had the strength to stop my father before this." _He looked at his hands in sadness.

"_I'm able to be here only because of the strength I have borrowed from Natsu." _The three could only look at him.

"Did you steal his strength so you could stop your father?" Erza asked. There was still some anger in her voice as she spoke. The boy shook his head.

"_I wasn't the one who stole his power. The tree did. It called him here and stole his magic even though I tried to stop it." _Lucy had to look away. This boy they were talking to had died eight years ago...

"_Please, I want to make this all right. I will destroy the tree along with myself. You must go to Natsu so he will be saved."_  
"Are you sure? You will really be gone if you do that.." Erza asked. The boy gave a sad smile and nodded.

"_I want my peace. I have stayed for too long." _He said and walked to Erza.

"_Hold out your hand." _He said and the girl complied. The boy held his hand over hers and opened his fist. A small white petal fell on her palm and the instant it did, it turned into a completely different material. Silver.

"_I will leave my remaining strength in that. Place it upon his forehead and his powers will return and he will be able to fight off his sickness." _Erza looked at him wide-eyed.

"He will be...alright?" The boy smiled kindly and nodded. Erza felt so relieved. She had had her doubts about their succeeding in their mission but now it was all clear. Natsu would be saved.

"_He has great friends." _The boy almost whispered as he floated away from them. He returned to his father and told him something so quietly that the mages couldn't hear. The boy gave a smile and the father looked up. On his face there was a teary smile as the boy's figure disappeared inside the trunk and the father crawled next to it very slowly. The ground was covered in his blood and the three felt quite pained to watch the man struggle to his son.  
"I'm home." The man said before he touched the trees surface for the last time. A white light flashed before their eyes and the tree couldn't see anything for a while.

When the light faded the tree was gone and the only thing that was left was a withered sapling and a tiny flourishing flower beside it.  
**~.~.~  
****So there.  
I hope you weren't bored out of your mind.  
I know that the beginning was really deep stuff but to tell you the truth something similar happened to me lately and I kind of needed to write it down.  
The next chapter will feature mostly Gray and Natsu since I pretty much got everything written for the girls' part.  
Please leave a review of what you thought about this chapter and please, if there is something that you are wondering, don't hesitate to ask.  
Oh yeah and if you have any ideas I'm still open for them!  
Stay awesome readers!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi!  
Thanks again for all the support you have given. You're truly awesome.  
This chapter took a lot of time since I had many different ideas for it and mixing them up and still trying to make it clear to read was a challenge.  
The chapter is packed with Gray and Natsu fluff and such.  
Hope you enjoy!  
~.~.~**

I could feel the difference in my body. The shivers ran through me weaker and weaker as the time passed as I was losing my ability to keep my body warmed. I became more sluggish and it was harder to keep myself awake and focused as Gray had finally found his voice again as the dawn had broken. I tried to keep a smile on my face as the older tried to keep my spirits high. It was difficult.

"Natsu?" The raven-haired asked me and I noticed that I had once again lost my focus. I brought my eyes to meet his and even though I was able to give him a small smile I could only see the deep hurt in his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry. I just..." I sighed. It wasn't like I was frustrated or annoyed or anything like that. I was just so _tired_ that I couldn't even finish my sentence.

I was glad that Gray seemed to understand. He didn't say anything and just began to brush my hair. The action seemed to calm him down every time he did it which I was glad of. Gray was so stressed about the situation and he couldn't accept it at all. There was fear in his eyes and everything he did made me see how much he was hurting.  
Strangely the only thing that hurt me that moment was to see him hurting. I didn't feel angry or frustrated anymore. I wasn't cursing my fate or anything like that anymore. This sickness was eating me away as more time passed but I knew that my possible death wouldn't be the end. Something good would come out of it. Or at least I hoped so.

I looked into Gray's eyes once again and tried to give him an encouraging smile. While doing so I lifted my heavy hand up to touch his on my head before bringing it to my cheek. He seemed to be a bit surprised by my actions but didn't pull away. I gave a content sigh and closed my tired eyes for a while.

"It's weird...Gray is much warmer than I am now..." I said tiredly without opening my eyes. It was better that I didn't since that moment a look of terror passed Gray's features before he turned to look crestfallen again. He forced a smile on his face before I opened my eyes again and almost whispered:  
"That's true.."

A long silence passed the room. Neither of us moved.

"You know... I'm not afraid." I then stated before even thinking about it too much. Gray's eyes turned so terrified again that I felt a wave of regret pass me as I had began to say such things to him. He caressed my cheek with his thumb and I closed my eyes for a fleeting moment once again. The room suddenly felt a lot bigger than before.

"But why?" Gray asked me with a pleading voice. I knew that the look in my eyes wasn't wavering. My words were true.

"It just feels right.." I left my words hanging in the air. His face once again turned to look pained as his eyes shone.

"Dying?" He asked in disbelief. I couldn't look in his eyes. I knew that I sounded nothing like myself and the word 'dying' didn't belong into my mouth so I said nothing.

"...You're so selfish." Gray then said, breaking the silence again. I was surprised by this and turned to look at him once again.

"How do you think we would be able to live if you died now? How do you think _I_-?" His voice cracked at the end and he looked away from me. He was tearing up. Then a look of determination found its way to his face and he looked at me once again.

"I need you, alright? If you are just going to give up now I swear I won't be able to go on either." I was surprised by his sudden confession. And I could feel some warmth returning to my chest. My body felt a lot lighter suddenly and I felt _happy_ in a way that I thought I could never feel like. It was so strange. And it was even stranger that Gray was the one making me feel like this.

"Gray..." I could only say. I was at loss of words. Gray seemed a bit embarrassed about what he had just said and I swore I saw a faint red color creeping to his cheeks as he avoided eye-contact.

"You're important to me, alright?" I could feel a warm spark inside my chest again and I took a deep breath as I gathered all my strength and launched myself towards him. With my current situation it wasn't nearly enough and I only reached far enough to catch his arms to support my body. He realized this right away and turned to look at me in confusion while supporting me from my back. I leaned towards him and I collapsed against him, my head resting on his shoulders as my hands went around his back as I hugged him. I could feel Gray's face getting warmer and I knew that if my body hadn't been so cold and unresponsive I would have been blushing madly right then.

We were childhood friends. Rivals. Companions. We had never been good with words before and we had always fought against each other when trying to prove something to ourselves. There had been more insults and arguments that we could count but I had never regretted meeting Gray. We knew each other better than no one else and we had always silently supported and kept each other as the kind of person we knew the other wanted to be.

Like most of the people in the guild, Gray was someone who had been a necessary existence for me to be who I was today and he had showed me that I had been that for him too.

Feeling his heart beat against my chest I realized that I had rarely been this close to him. It made me realize how different things were now.  
We weren't being mean to each other and we could honestly say what we thought.

I wondered if we would have ended up so close if I hadn't fallen ill. I instantly knew we wouldn't have.

Gray's hand rested on my back soon and supported me some as his other hand touched my hair a bit uncertainly. I wondered for a while if I was acting too awkward but that thought was pushed away as Gray's hand began to rub comforting circles on my back.

"Thank you Gray..." I said and snuggled against his neck. I knew that I might have been crossing some kind of line (a line of friendship maybe?) but I didn't really care. If my life was truly reaching its end I wanted to do what felt good to me. And right now it was this. I wanted to feel close human contact. I wanted to feel the warmth of another person. Then I realized that I didn't actually want that. I didn't want to be around just anyone. I wanted to be here, in this room, with Gray. After all, he had been the one who had been by my side this entire time and I had never had to hide my weak side from him. Not anyone else had done that for me.  
The older didn't say anything since he figured that I was going to continue my sentence. I could feel a genuine smile warming my face.

"You have been with me this entire time. You have saved me in so many ways." He pulled me closer to him.

"I _will _save you. I still haven't done anything." I could feel him gripping my soft, cotton shirt as his hand shook a bit. I stayed quiet.  
Neither of us moved for the longest time but I felt very content with that. A weak shiver passed my body and I could feel my body growing heavy again. My hands slowly slid down his back before falling limp to my sides.

I was glad that Gray didn't pull me away even though exhaustion took over me. I could feel his hand leaving my back for a while before a soft material was placed over my shoulders. It was my blanket. He tucked it around me as well as he could and pulled my hands before my body so they rested against his warm chest. After that his strong hands rested on my back again.

I took a deep breath and tried to gather my strength to speak as a memory flashed in my mind.

"You know... That tree I talked about in the dream I had..." I started. I knew Gray was probably surprised that I would talk about it.  
"...It wasn't me the tree devoured. It was a kid. The doctor's son." I felt Gray twitch.  
"What? That same doctor who attacked you?" I nodded.

"Yeah... You know he isn't really a bad guy." I felt Gray shake his head lightly.

"Why would you say that? After all he did to you? He even stabbed you!" There was clear anger in his voice which I understood.

"Kohaku."I almost whispered.

"Kohaku? What's that?"  
"That's his name. The boy's name. He was called Kohaku."

"_Was_? So_.._he's dead?" Gray asked with confusion. I was silent for a while before nodding.

"Yeah... I saw his memories. His dad was a really great person...He was so kind and-" I couldn't help it when my voice broke. The memories were flooding back to my mind like they were my own. I felt like the kid himself. My hands found Gray's shirt in desperation as I felt myself losing who I was. My body shook and I felt my breath quicken.

"Natsu? What's wrong?" I couldn't answer him. I could hear his voice but it soon seemed to be very far away and I lost the control of my body. His voice became muffled in my mind as my memories became mingled with other ones.

–

I could only see darkness.

"Natsu? Natsu! Answer me! Please!"I heard a voice. I was straining my head when I thought who it was. I could feel warmth behind me and I turned to see a meadow.  
I knew that place. I could see myself there as I was down on my knees while doing something with my hands. I couldn't remember what I had been doing that day but it soon came back to me as another figure stepped in the picture.

"Kohaku." The person said and I turned to look at the one who had arrived. A smile rose to my face immediately.

"Dad!" I shouted excitedly. Then I seemed to remember what I was doing and went back to it.

"What are you doing Kohaku? You know you shouldn't come here alone. There are a lot of dangerous animals around here and you could get hurt." The man scolded but I didn't seem to mind.

"Just wait a little...There!" I said and got up. I ran to the man, holding something behind my back.

"Close your eyes and bend a little bit forward." I said with excitement. The man sighed and did as I told. I then took the object from behind my back and put it on his head. It was a crown made of flowers.

"Alright!" The man opened his eyes and took the object to his hands to see it. His mouth turned into a kind smile.

"So...you finally learned how to make it." I nodded.

"Yeah, just like mom did!"  
As I floated in the darkness I smiled at the memory. It was so calming. Then there was that persistent voice again.

"Natsu, wake up, please!" The voice had grown more desperate and I found myself annoyed by it. I wanted to be there, didn't he know that?  
"Just be quiet, Gray!" I found myself saying. My eyes snapped open. Gray. How could I have forgotten about him? I didn't want to be here, I wanted to be there with him!  
I quickly spun around towards his voice and saw a tiny light. I headed towards it and saw myself held up so that Gray could look at my face. I could feel the scenery pass into me and I felt like I would have been thrown through some kind of vortex.

–

As I slowly opened my eyes I felt really disorientated. Where was I? Where had the field gone to? Dad?

"Where is dad...?" I asked the figure before me. I could barely make out his worried-looking features as he held me up so he could look at me.

Then I could feel him tapping my cheek and I was brought back to reality although slowly. I looked into his eyes tiredly.

"...Gray..." A relieved sigh could be heard as I still tried to focus my vision.

"Are you okay? What just happened?" He asked me. I could feel my head clearing and I found that I could use my body. I once again leaned towards him and he let me go back to my earlier position as I gave a tired sigh.

"It was his memory. Our memories have been mixed together since I met him the first time. It has slowly gotten stronger and that happens sometimes." Gray was silent for a while.

"You acted the same way when I woke you from that dream..." I still remembered what I had seen in that dream. It had been a mix from mine and his memories. The tree and the field from his memories, Gray and the fire- my flames from mine.

"Yeah. It happened back then too.." I said. I felt the small energy that I had that day returning.

The silence returned to the room. Gray was obviously too afraid to ask anything, fearing that I might once again slip into the strange state I was in before that's why I spoke.

"I knew from the start." It was time to tell the truth. I felt like if I didn't do it now I wouldn't have chance to do it again. I felt quite afraid of what Gray's reaction would be but it needed to be done.

"Knew what?" He asked in confusion. I sighed. Now or never.

"Since I met the boy in the tree I knew what was going on... The tree... It began to suck my magic from me." A moment silence and-

"What!? Wha-why didn't you tell me!? -US!" He corrected himself and I felt myself smile.

"Because when a few days had passed I began to see his memories in my dreams and I just couldn't do it. If the spell was broken he would be gone forever." I paused before continuing.

"And... I didn't want it to come down to it that you would have to make the choice between saving me or the boy." I felt Gray shaking his head again.

"I still don't understand... You knew that you were risking your life for a _dead _person yet you were willing to do it for him to exists a while longer?"  
"It's not like that... I knew that my magic would be strong enough to resist the spell if I wanted to. But seeing his memories, his father... I just couldn't do it." Gray stayed silent.

"His father visited him every single day and every day he would try to reassure that he would get Kohaku back one day. If I had cut of the flow of magic the tree would have died and his dad would have been devastated."

"But what were you hoping to achieve? You were just prolonging the inevitable."

"I know. But one night I heard Kohaku speak to me. He was telling how much he loved his dad and that he wanted to speak to him for the last time. So he asked me to keep the spell intact for just a while so he would have enough strength to speak to him for the last time. The spell wasn't too strong so it didn't bother me so I let it be."

"But you weren't fine. You were really sick Natsu."

"That's because something happened. Morte, the doctor, made me ill so I wouldn't be able to resist the spell and it would suck the last of my magic away from me."  
"And you still felt the need to keep giving your magic to the kid. You're suicidal!"

"It must be because of his memories were already so carved into my head that they almost felt like my own. It would have been the same as killing myself..." There was a slight pause in the conversation.

"But what about when you almost died?" He hissed in slight anger.

"That...was because I overestimated my own strength..." Gray didn't say anything to that so I continued.

"I thought that I would be able to stay conscious longer to fight the spell but I lost to the sickness. It almost got me but somewhere deep inside of my mind I was able to come in contact with my own magic and strengthen it manually.. Or at least that is what Master thought that happened." There was a moment of silence and I suddenly felt my blood run a bit cold. I said something unnecessary.

"...Natsu...Did you just say 'Master'?" I stuttered an answer.  
"Uh, I-I...um..." I wasn't really being convincing. Actually, not at all. I had no idea what kind of look Gray was wearing but I guessed it wasn't good.

"So he knew about this?!" He shouted at me. I would have put my hands up in my protection if I had the strength to.

"-He just figured out that my magic was being taken by something a little later after the incident. So I just told him I knew nothing about it and since the spell was really weak after that he could no longer sense it. That's how I was able to keep it all a secret from you all." Gray gave me a bit-stronger-than-necessary pat on my head and made sure to ruffle my hair into a mess.

"You're such an idiot." He sighed. As I heard a certain understanding in his voice I could smile.

"I know."

We stayed quiet for a while again.

"So are you just going to let it happen?" I knew what he meant by the question.

"..." I didn't want to answer him.

I heard him sigh again.

"Natsu... you can still stop this. The kid is dead already, you can't do anything for him anymore-"

"-No. That's not right." I interrupted him with strength that I didn't know I had. He fell silent in surprise.

"Even though he is dead... I made him a promise. I know he will keep it."

"Natsu.. what was the promise?"

"He will use my magical energy to talk to his father. After that he will return my magic and he will be gone... forever." I whispered the last part.

"You don't even know if he will keep that promise-!"

"-I do! He will. I know him." I knew that Gray realized that I knew him as well as myself currently.

"And besides.." I started.

"What?"

"It's...already too late. My magic is too weak to oppose the spell anymore.." Gray's grip tightened around me.

"..This is not right. Can't you just.. do that manual-thing again and fight this sickness off?" I gave a huff.

"It is considered as something very rare occurrence. It is by complete luck that I was able to do it the last time. I won't be able to do it anymore." I heard Gray gulp. He was silent for a while.  
I felt the effects of having such a long talk taking hold of me. My eyes closed against my will and I felt my body relax. Gray's voice sounded a lot softer than usual and I blamed my fuzzy feeling for it.  
"But that kid promised you, right? Then it is going to be all alright... Definitely. You're going to get your magic back and then you'll fight this sickness off. You're not going to go anywhere." I knew Gray was reassuring himself more than me but his words made me feel happy and even more relaxed.

"Is it alright if I...fall asleep?" I asked him with my remaining strength and I earned a gentle rub on my back.

"Yeah.." He said and I could hear from his tone that he was smiling. For the first time in a long while I was able to fall asleep with a smile on my face, knowing that I would be safe from harm inside these hands.

~.~.~

**Hope you liked it!  
There is a possibility that there are some errors (I hope none are too big!) since I have no beta-reader and I do all the checking myself. I have read this through so many times that I feel like I don't want to see this chapter again in a very long time.  
The next chapter will be a lot more exciting I promise. I hope this didn't bore you out. It was needed for this story to go on.  
Remember to ask if you are uncertain about something or have forgotten something along the way! I am happy to answer all your questions!  
Stay awesome readers and until next time!**


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